Our Green Efforts

Soap, candles and lotions made with the sun

As a small tropical island with limited resources 84% of our island's electricity is generated by burning diesel fuel to the tune of about 50,000 barrels of oil per month. In 2007 we decided to do our part to reduce this dependency on fossil fuel and the subsequent environmental impacts. We installed a large photovoltaic solar array on the roof of our factory which supplied about 75% of our factory’s energy needs. In 2009 we added even more solar power to cover all of our energy needs and since then we have been running on sun power!

Forrest friendly packaging

Over time we have been switching our printed paper packaging to either recycled paper or Forrest Stewardship Council certified paper. On the back of much of our packaging you will see the FSC (Forrest Stewardship Council) logo. The FSC is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way. For more information on the Forrest Stewardship Council click here to visit their website.

Recycled Paper for our packing material

Going green sometimes includes a free lunch

In recognition of our efforts on Kauai we were honored at the annual Kauai Green Business awards luncheon held by the Kapaa Rotary Club of Kauai. Island Soap's owner Steve Connella was there to accept the award and enjoy a nice buffet lunch.

About our palm oil

Many of our products, such as our lip balms and soaps, benefit from the qualities of natural palm oil. However we have also been aware that the increasing global demand for palm oil has led to significant ecological damage by some palm oil producers. That is why we purchase our palm oil from a supplier who has made a commitment to sustainabilty.

Below is their statement regarding their commitment to sustainability.It can also be found at www.caloils.com

We, at California Oils Corporation, are sensitive to activities and practices in palm oil production that affect our environment and wildlife and we believe in the production of palm oil in a sustainable manner.

California Oils Corporation supports the mission of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to promote the growth and use of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). To this end, we are committed to leverage our position in the supply chain and avail our resources to assist our customers to meet their demands for CSPO in the most practical and efficient way. Specifically:

We are an active member of RSPO.

We will integrate our commitment to the RSPO process throughout the company by a program of continuous improvement. We will promote and communicate our commitment to the RSPO process to our suppliers and customers. We will encourage suppliers to support the RSPO process by becoming members. All our current suppliers are RSPO members. We will communicate to our customers our readiness to be CSPO Supply Chain certified and work in tandem with our suppliers to be similarly certified.

2 California Oils Corporation is registered with the UTZ Certified traceability system. UTZ is contracted by RSPO to implement and manage a multiple traceability system for CSPO. More information can be found on www.utzcertified.org